I've always shot groups of different loads, but I'm intrigued with the "incremental" method as described on the snipershide website.

Roger

OK, just kidding� give me some specifics and I�ll dazzle you with pearls of wisdom.

Shoot safe,
Mike

The gist of it seems to be that you load, say, 10 rounds, stepping the load up by .3/.5 (depending upon the cartridge). You then shoot the 10, taking great care to ensure you keep track of which hole belongs to which load. You are looking for 3 or so sequential shots to cluster together. If it works out, then these loads that cluster together represent a point in the barrel harmonics at which it is most tolerant of slight differences in the loads. My guess would be that these are the 'end points' in the barrel vibration.

I try to load 20 bullets with a 'step' value from the 'Starting' load to the 'Max' load. If the Start to Max is 10 grains, I have a step value of .5 grains. I generally use the same components for these loads, known accurate bullets, Match Primers, prepped brass. The only real variable is the powder and rifle.

I fire a few fouling rounds to 'condition/heat' the barrel as I use heavy barreled rifles and don't wait for a cold bore shot on development.

I fire all the 'test' rounds onto one target plotting the hits and velocity on a duplicate target I keep at the shooting position.

Once all rounds are fired I determine the range that gives the tightest group and the midpoint of that range becomes my desired load. I usually have an accurate load in just one trip to the range, on the next trip I establish velocity constants for ballistic trajectories with the selected load.

[This message has been edited by HIVELOSITY (edited 01-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by HIVELOSITY (edited 01-31-2002).]

[This message has been edited by HIVELOSITY (edited 01-31-2002).]

Most important is to only make ONE change at a time.

There's a lot more detail than that, but this is the basics.

Every one of my 20 plus centerfires shoot into an inch or less, several under 1/4 inch using this method. I've had about five rifles over the years that I couldn't get to shoot to my liking. I either sold them or traded them off.

------------------
Be content with what you have but never with who you are.

quote:

---

Originally posted by RobertJ:
Dave
At what range do you this type of load development? I have tried it a 100yd and was not able decipher the information.

---

I shoot at 100 yards for development.

I plot every hit on a copy of the target that I keep at my location. I make a list of the loads and next to it I record the velosity and hit #, numbers 1 through 20.
At the end of the shooting I look at the numbers that hit the targets closest together. If there is a group of them from a series, hit # 5, 6, 7, and 8 for example I know that that area is a good powder load.

If I had to say the one most important key to accuracy reloading is a chronograph. I loaded for 15-20 years before I got mine. I had loads SET IN STONE. They all changed and for the better. There is no other tool that will give you hard evidence of what your particular rifle likes and eliminate so many other factors that may give you misleading information. Velocity is not the key but consistent velocity is. All my guns shoot good groups at a low vel.-med vel.-& high vel. The velocities in-between are just OK. Visualized an �S� curve horizontally representing velocity as it increases. The peaks in the curve are where the guns shoot the best groups. The peaks in the curve will also represent the most consonant velocities shot to shot. The extreme spread in velocity or �standard deviation� is the key element and only available by the use of a chronograph. They pay for themselves in loading components in a very short time.

Blanket statement: Any rifle that spits out a bullet within 10 feet per second of the same velocity every shot will shoot a ragged hole at 100 yards. IF it doesn�t, there is a mechanical problem with the gun or the shooter. It is not the load.

Boy am I going to hear about this one,
Mike

During load development I found a powder and powder charge that gives good volume. Just by tweaking the seating depth of the bullet...groups tightened up!

[This message has been edited by Michael Swickard (edited 01-31-2002).]

During load development I found a powder and powder charge that gives good volume. Just by tweaking the seating depth of the bullet...groups tightened up!

[This message has been edited by Michael Swickard (edited 01-31-2002).]

Ciao

Mike

------------------
BigBob

[This message has been edited by BigBob (edited 02-01-2002).]

Just to clarify, I am a pretty experienced (probably quite average for this crowd) accuracy oriented handloader. I use benchrest quality gear/dies/cleaning stuff, chrono, yadda yadda. My latest project will be a 6.5x06 built on Sako Long Action with a 28" Krieger barrel, McMillan stock.

My most accurate gun is a Cooper VE 21 in .223. Most perfect load is 27.5 gr. of H335 under Nosler 40gr. BT's. How did I arrive at this magic load? Steve Timm in Varmint Hunter said so . I started with a reduced load and worked up, seated the bullets as long as I could seeing as how they're so stubby! Sub .5 MOA five shots groups at 100 with boring regularity. Of course, I've got my dogs too! I just sent an Encore in .308 back to TC because I could get NOTHING to group better than 3 inches at 100 (3 shots) with terrible vertical stringing. After reading the above I wish I would have tinkered more with seating depth. BUT, my experience is, if you're shooting 3-4 inch 3 shot groups as a starting point with several tried and true bullet/powder combos (including 2 types of factory match ammo), something is WRONG.

The other thing that has really intrigued me but that I have not tried, is to take primed and sized brass to the range with a scale, measure and powder and loading as I go while working up loads. A setup for this is well described here:

http://www.shootingsoftware.com/reloading.htm

This is on the CED millenium chrony site.

This guy has some very unique and interesting thoughts on relaoding. I'd encourage you to take a look. He has some ideas that I had never thought of or seen before (and no, I don't work there or have stock..I just tripped across it!).

I am always pressed for time, and admit that I have sometimes approached load development from a less than systematic way. But I SWEAR I'm gonna' do it right this next time!

Roger